If you have traveled on a United Airlines flight that was longer than two hours, you may have purchased one of their in-flight snackbox offerings to satisfy your hunger. At one point, I think United offered four different options, but recently, they have backed down to three. I’m guessing it was a demand issue.
At first glance, all of the Snackbox choices seem to have some healthy items and some not-so-healthy items. To make it easy, I did an analysis of each Snackbox, rating each item in the box, as well as the box as a whole. I always suggest that you bring your own nutritious food for in-flight, but if you forget to or didn’t have time to prepare anything, use this guide to make the right in-flight choice while flying United:
Classic Snackbox ($6)
| Item | Rating | Explanation |
| Kettle Backyard BBQ Chips | Bad | High in fat |
| Oreo Cookies | Bad | High in sugar and saturated fat |
| Jelly Belly Gourmet Jelly Beans | Bad | High in sugar |
| Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers | Ok | High in carbohydrates. Moderate fat and moderate protein |
| Sparrer Beef Salami | Bad | High in saturated fat |
| Gourmet Cheddar Cheese Spread | Bad | High in saturated fat |
| Pepperidge Farm Crackers | Ok | Made wit refined flour |
Overall Rating – Worst Snackbox Option. Although this option might fill you up in-flight, it won’t leave you feeling very good. It is high in saturated fat, sugar and refined carbohydrates. The high sugar content will cause a potential energy crash and the high saturated fat content will leave you gassy and potentially constipated. Moreover, there is little to no fiber in this option. When traveling, fiber is especially important in maintaining regularity.
Luxe Snackbox ($7)
| Item | Rating | Explanation |
| Rondele Peppercorn Parmesan Cheese Spread | Bad | High in saturated fat |
| Pepperidge Farm Crackers | Ok | Made with refined flour |
| Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Tortilla Chips | Good | Made with whole grains and lower in fat than traditional chips |
| Oloves Mediterranean or Vinaigrette Olives | Good | High in healthy monounsaturated fats |
| Wild Garden Hummus Dip | Good | High in protein and healthy fats |
| Real Torino Sesame Breadsticks | Ok | Made with refined flour |
| Ashers Dark Chocolate Pretzel | Ok | Dark chocolate has antioxidants, but pretzel is made with refined flour |
Overall Rating – Best Snackbox Option. This option is well-balanced and contains foods that are less processed than those found in the other snackboxes. The Luxe choice has items that are high in fiber, and that contain whole grains, protein and healthy fats. All of which are important in satiating your appetite in-flight and giving you a nutritious snack for the longer haul.
Eat for Good Snackbox ($7)
*$1 donated to Feeding America®
| Item | Rating | Explanation |
| Bumble Bee Chicken Salad | Bad | The chicken salad is actually very high in fat, sugar, sodium, corn syrup and other unappealing ingredients. Further, it isn’t as high in protein as you’d think |
| Pepperidge Farm Crackers | Ok | Made with refined flour and sugar, but low in fat |
| Kettle Classics Plain Chips | Bad | High in fat |
| Immaculate Baking Chocolate Chip Cookies | Bad | High in sugar and fat. Made with refined flour |
| High Energy Trail Mix | Good | High in fiber, healthy fat and contains some protein |
| Vitalit Antioxidant Drink Mix | Ok | I’m never a fan of drink mixes. I’d rather see you get your antioxidants from real food |
Overall Rating – Not Optimal as a Snackbox Option. With only one item that is somewhat healthy, this snack box is not the best way to go in-flight. It is high in fat, sugar and carbohydrates. It is relatively low in protein and contains a lot of highly processed food items.
Of course the healthier options cost more than the the unhealthiest. Murphy’s Law at its best.
Have you had any of these United Snackboxes while in-flight? Which one do you normally choose?
